Kara Stinson
Kara Stinson is a mercenary and scavenger living in the Detroit Wasteland. Something of a disaffected loner, her current situation is the result of her own choices and a desire to change her own life, something that has not worked out entirely as she had hoped. Presently she is active in the wasteland, working as a hired gun to sell her services to the highest bidder. History Early Life Kara was born into a family living in Vault 54 in 2268. At birth she was immediately inducted into the Vault’s ongoing social experiment by having her DNA matched with the individual who would be her eventual mate and help create the next generation of Vault Dwellers. As was the norm for 54’s inhabitants, Kara was introduced to her eventual partner, Dylan Wheeler, at an early age, knowing full well that they had already been paired up and the expectations of them. Despite her indoctrination and her parents’ best efforts, Kara found that she had no interest in Dylan whatsoever. She found them to be rather incredibly bland and uninteresting, and certainly not somebody who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Added to that, she found the very idea of having children with Dylan to be strangely repulsive, despite Vault 54’s strict policies of population quotas and rewarding fecundity. Choosing not to have children was a crime that could see her and her partner cut off from supplies or worse. After her eighteenth birthday, Kara directly confronted her parents about her feelings and her decision not to proceed with her planned life. Their response was to alternately plead, cajole and eventually threaten her in an effort to get her to change her mind. When this didn’t work, they went to Dylan’s parents, who tried similar pressure tactics, knowing that they could be cut off from their grandchild bonus. Again, none of this worked, with Kara going so far as to point out how bland and uninteresting Dylan was. Initially, the two families tried to keep this quiet, fearing that they would both be punished for Kara’s intransigence. Eventually, however, matters could not be hushed up and Kara was bought before Overseer Mitch Mitchell. Given one last chance to recant her position and accept the will of the Vault, Kara refused. Feeling that she was no longer compatible with 54’s culture, Overseer Mitchell ordered the worst punishment possible; exile. Kara was cast out into the wastelands, with only a Vault Suit and a 10mm Pistol to her name. (As a post-script, Dylan was eventually paired off with Kim Snodworthy, a “second-choicer” who’s intended mate had died in an accident) Exile and Survival By Vault 54’s rules, exile was final. There would be no return, no second chances and no redemption. An exile was forsaken, forever removed from the gene pool and left to their own devices. The very threat of exile was meant to deter anyone from whatever path they were taking. Instead, in Kara’s case, she seemed to actively embrace it as a way to escape her past and pre-planned destiny. If she was going to die, then at least she would die a free woman. Cast out into the blasted wastelands of Michigan, Kara found a very different world to the one she was used to. With no shelter, no protection, no useful skills to fall back on and nobody else, she should have, by all rights, died a quick and ugly death. Instead, if anything, she persevered through a sense of bloody-minded determination to prove herself and live a free life. Never was there any regret about her choices, but instead the determination to press on. Somehow she survived. Abandoned buildings provided a modicum of shelter, and she was able to learn a bit about scavenging in order to find food and passably clean water. The discovery of a stash of preserved food helped her along her way, giving her something to live off for the interim. And in a strange way, years of Vault indoctrination did help her to a degree. Having been taught that everything outside was lethal and that any surviving humans were in fact insane cannibalistic murderers, she was incredibly cautious of anything that might even be remotely dangerous, and spent a lot of time hiding from perceived threats. While at first she was wandering largely aimlessly (Having very little knowledge of pre-war geography and none of the current state of the region), Kara eventually found herself heading towards Detroit, guided by highway signs. There was little logic to her decision, other than the thought that there might be some form of civilisation there. Along the way, she’d done her best to shed her vault dweller image. Looting had given her a thick coat and other suitable wasteland attire, as well as a R91 Assault rifle that she’d found in a stash. It also helped that her once-clean looks had instead degenerated into a mess of matted hair and dirt-stained features. As luck would have it, Kara stumbled into a trading caravan who mistook her for a scavenger or a mercenary looking for work (They assumed she wasn’t a raider given that they had all but ambushed her, and she hadn’t demanded any caps). After a bit of initial confusion, Kara agreed to work as a guard for the caravan as they made their way towards what was referred to as the “free town of Park Lane” in central Detroit. Figuring that wherever they were heading was better than the wastelands of rural Michigan, Kara agreed to the deal. It nearly proved to be a fatal mistake. Halfway to their destination, the Caravan was jumped by a Raider gang and Kara was forced to fight. Despite having never been in an actual gunfight before, she acquitted herself well, killing two of the Raiders and wounding a third. This was enough to drive them off, earning her the thanks of the caravan crew as well as first dibs at looting their bodies for anything of worth. She also took the opportunity to quietly throw up in a ditch out of eyesight of her employer. The caravan made it to Park Lane without further violence, even if Kara did have to wave her gun at a few people to scare them off. At the end of the trip, the Caravan crew helped spread the word about her, helping to sell the image that she was indeed a mercenary and not just some dumb runaway. Kara had found her new calling in life, even if it was by accident. Reestablishment Fortune had given Kara an opening, and she was determined not to squander it. Landing in Park Lane meant she was set up in a local hub, one where she would be able to find work and, hopefully, a place to call home. Even if her first load of caps did go into renting a space in a flophouse, it was enough to put a temporary roof over her head as she sought work. While she did such, Kara was careful to keep her ears to the ground and pay attention to what was going on around her in order to learn more about the world she was in and the Detroit Wastes in particular. The latter suggested that she had come to the right place. From what she learned, the Detroit Wasteland was not claimed by any one powerful faction. Furthermore, the city was divided even further between different groups; be they other settlements, Raiders, Super Mutants, would-be empire builders or whatever else. In other words, it was a ripe environment for a hired gun to make a living. Her bluff had paid off, and soon she was able to find work. Initially it was low-level tasks, such as protecting caravans or covering scavengers as they picked over the ruins. The latter proved to be something of a boon for her. Kara had shown an affinity for technical tasks on her GOAT tests, and this translated well into her new role. In many cases, she found herself advising the scavengers she was working with, pointing out the best stuff from their pickings or how to access materials that they would have been unable to get to otherwise. This helped further build her reputation, bringing her more work. Kara also found work as a courier, moving messages and packages between different settlements and outposts, a career that taught her a lot more about the city. She also saw plenty of combat during this time, both against animals and other hazards and humans. While at first she was deeply troubled by the issue, she began to accept that this was a part of her role and that in many cases, it was a ‘them or her’ situation. If she didn’t kill her enemies, they would do the same – or worse – to her. Even then it took her some time to keep her composure entirely, rather than doing her utmost to conceal it. She certainly spent a lot of time throwing up when she thought nobody could see her. Despite that problem, her reputation grew, keeping her in work and a steady supply of caps. Within six months she had a home in Park Lane, regular meals and, save for the occasional visit to a particularly attractive and skilled male prostitute, free of destructive vices. Within a year she was taking work in other settlements as well, having built a reputation as a professional with an eye for salvage and a keen aim. Even better, nobody had openly challenged her story or even hinted at her real past. As far as she was concerned, the person she had been in Vault 54 was dead. Moving up in the world Kara’s activities earned her the attention of more than just potential employers. Her involvement in the battle of McMillain School, where she was part of a small group who cleaned out a particularly violent nest of raiders, drew her to the attention of Karl Wendell, the leader of the Black Skull Company. One of the largest mercenary outfits in Detroit, the Black Skulls were the best regarded and certainly the best organised. Wendell had heard about her and her work, and wanted to see what she had to offer. Their initial meeting went well. Wendell was immediately impressed with the way she handled herself and her seemingly cool and relaxed disposition. He also liked her apparent technical knowledge, even if he did not openly question where it came from. Finally, a few trials demonstrated her marksmanship and other combat skills, all things that he was looking for in a potential recruit. He went so far to make this abundantly clear to her; the Black Skulls did not take just anyone, and as such, to be offered a position in the company was something to be proud of. Kara, for her part, was smitten with the handsome and charismatic mercenary. While she had tried to focus purely on the professional side of their meeting, it was hard for her not to be drawn to him. And while she did accept his offer obstinately for the opportunity that it presented for her and the chance to further her career, the truth was her attraction to him was also a deciding factor. However, she also realised that to openly admit such would not be a smart move, and as such she did her best to keep a lid on the situation. Her welcome to Black Skull Company was surprisingly warm, given that she was walking into a band of professional hired soldiers. This, she realised, was due to the strong espirit de corps maintained by the unit; everyone looked out for each other, everyone treated each other with respect and everyone had each other’s back at all time. It was a strong part of their image, one that helped sell them as being the best that the mercenary trade had to offer. And even if its members were cold-hearted mercenary bastards by trade, each one of them was willing to do their best to look after the others. Abandoning Park Lane and what she now saw as bit work, Kara moved into the Company’s headquarters and was ready for what she saw as the big time. Category:Characters Category:Mercenaries